Number 5, from section 2 (WORDS), in Rules of a Godly Life: Confide to no one your personal secrets unless you have beforehand found him to be worthy of your trust. Here is one way to prove him and learn to know him well: confide to him some secret of small importance; if he keeps it to himself it is an indication of his trustworthiness….
Amish: A Secret Life is a new BBC documentary following David and Miriam Lapp of Lancaster County. From the description on the BBC website: An intimate portrait of Amish family life and faith – this film opens up a world usually kept private. Miriam and David are Old Order Amish and photography is not permitted under the strict rules of the Amish church. So when…
Following up our discussion on how Amish choose hospitals, a regular reader has shared observations of how his Amish friends choose and pay for conventional care. Â You’ll see that sometimes creativity is involved. Per request I’ve changed the names of the locations, substituting generic names for the actual town names. Â The Amish community in question is a small one and quite conservative: My friends prefer…
Do you recall the 12 Amish children orphaned last year when their parents died in a highway accident in New York?  The  Hershberger children were officially adopted this past Monday by an uncle and aunt from Ohio. From the story: The judge asked each soon-to-be parent and the older children if they wanted to move forward with the adoption: Are you willing “to create a…
It’s been some time since we’ve covered the Bergholz beard-cutters, though pieces of news have been trickling out here and there. Â The trial of the 16 defendants in the case is fast approaching, with proceedings set to begin August 27. The accused have sought certain allowances in the lead-up to the trial. Â The latest objection is over language used to describe the group: Members of…
The devotional Rules of a Godly Life is split into three sections, focused on Thoughts, Words, and Works.  We’ve looked at two Rules already–one from the Words section, on speaking evil, and another from Works, concerning  appearance. Number 15 from the Thoughts section is one of the shortest in the entire devotional, at just two lines: If you have an important decision to make, or you…
A black walnut dental treatment is apparently enjoying popularity in Amish (and I assume other) circles.  Black walnut extract is claimed to fix cavities, cracks, and toothaches. A local dentist, however, says it doesn’t work. Dr. Stephen Raffensperger is quoted on the treatment in this article.  He is adamant that it does not do what it claims.  But  he’s not being listened to. “If I…
Reader Darlene paid a recent visit to Amish near Stone Arabia, New York (Montgomery County). Â This is in the Mohawk Valley area of the state, near the Adirondack Mountains, and in the vicinity of the town of Fort Plain. In New York Amish, Karen Johnson-Weiner writes that Amish migration to the area began in 1986, when Byler Amish (New Wilmington, PA roots) settled in the…
Summer is when people travel. Â Many of those trips take in Amish areas. Â Actually, in a lot of states it’s getting harder to drive anywhere without passing near an Amish spot on the map. I also know a lot of you live in or near Amish settlements. Â So I thought I’d throw it out–are you visiting any Amish communities this summer? (or have you already?)…
How do Amish decide where to get medical treatment?  There are multiple factors that go into that decision, but since Amish pay cash for medical care, a big factor is cost. If you’ve ever traveled through Millersburg, the seat of Holmes County, you may have passed by Pomerene Hospital.  Amish are perhaps 40% of Holmes County’s population, one reason they make up a large part–20%–of the…